Review – Ethan

16 Sunday Aug 2026

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Ethan, Hockey Bros series

Ethan

Hockey Bros #1

by Beth Bolden

Cover Designer: Ozark Witch Cover Design

Model: Jake

Photographer: Katie Cadwallader Photography @cadwalladerphotography

Blurb:

There’s nothing Ethan Barnes has wanted more than to play hockey with his brothers. Avery, Charlie and Ethan have been dreaming about uniting the Barnes brothers on one team since they were barely old enough to hold a hockey stick.

Starting his rookie season on the New York Bandits, Ethan’s finally going to get the chance to play with his brother Charlie. But while Charlie’s great—a fantastic roommate, a better teammate, and a damn good forward—it turns out the guy Ethan’s really interested in doesn’t have a last name of Barnes.

Hank Tucker’s been working his ass off for two years to make the Bandits opening roster as one of their starting defensemen. What he needs is determination, hard work and focus.

What he doesn’t need is a rookie forward with a famous last name, who, since the first time they met at development camp last year, has permanently moved into his thoughts with his rumpled curls and magnetic smiles and killer body. No matter how grumpy Hank is or how determined he is to shake him, Ethan’s sunshine ends up buried deep under Hank’s skin.

Hank’s always been sure he was straight. But Ethan tempts him and entices him and ultimately, makes himself so irresistible Hank’s got no shot at holding back.

Especially when it turns out that Ethan’s not just been working hard to make a spot on the Bandits’ roster but in Hank’s bed, too.

Tropes: double bisexual awakening, player x player, black cat x golden retriever, grumpy x sunshine, pining/yearning

Amazon: https://readerlinks.com/l/5517829

*****

Review:

There’s a connection between Ethan and Hank from the moment they meet. And they slowly build on that as they go their separate ways for the season. Because Ethan is going to do everything he can to get his guy and I love that for him. Not that Hank is exactly adverse but it’s definitely Ethan that gets things going.

It has a real feel to it tho as Hank especially comes to terms with their sexuality. They go at a pace that works for both of them which doesn’t involve jumping right in to anything sexual and keeping their evolving relationship private. It’s so much slow burn and so much yearning as these two spend a lot of time separated due to hockey 🙂

It’s also the first in a new series so we get some time being introduced to the world inhabited by the Barnes siblings. I think it’s going to be more of a mood read because you kinda have to just sit back and let the story come to you. But I did enjoy Ethan and Hank and I liked the glimpses of the other Barnes siblings we get, their dynamic and the pressure they are under to be no just good but extraordinary.

Review – Thunderstruck

22 Monday Jun 2026

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Thunderstruck, Toronto Thunder series

Thunderstruck

Toronto Thunder #4

by Beth Bolden

Tropes: bisexual awakening, stepbrother romance, forbidden romance, forced proximity, opposites attract, teammate x teammate

Blurb:

When Lane realizes he’s attracted to his straight stepbro, he’s absolutely thunderstruck . . .

It’s not the worst day of Lane’s life when his team, the Toronto Thunder, drafts his baby stepbro, Trevor, but it’s close.

No. The worst day was when his mom married Trevor’s dad. Trevor’s just too good, too naïve, too sheltered. Too hot.

Lane might claim he wants nothing to do with him, but that’s the worst delusion of all. He’s always wanted everything to do with Trevor. Even when they have zero in common. Even when Trevor’s always been on the straight and narrow. Literally.

Lane’s the total opposite. He’s walked—and danced and sashayed—to the beat of his own drum, forever. Mentoring Trevor now that they’re on the same team? Sounds like his idea of hell—and heaven, too. There’s a reason their teammates call them the demon twins.

But with the final few games of the season and the Thunders’ playoff run looming, Lane’s self-control is weaker than ever. Especially when Trevor confesses that he’s been thinking about it, too.

Suggesting Trevor experiment with their mutual attraction would be a terrible idea, but Lane’s had worse, and that’s never stopped him before.

And when it becomes way more than just sex? When Trevor becomes the first guy he wants to see in the mornings and the last thing before he goes to bed at night? When they’re so completely entangled together that he couldn’t get free, even if he wanted to?

That’s a special kind of thunder.

Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback (model & discreet), and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est early July)

https://readerlinks.com/l/5430374

*****

Review:

I could not put this one down and read it in about a day. That prologue just made me hurt for Lane and it explains so much of the dynamic between the two. But once things become different, once they have the chance to explore an attraction between them … at one point Cam calls men “the most thickheaded morons” when in love and I couldn’t agree more 🙂

Both of them are so hesitant and so unsure about the other. But as their experiment turns into feelings and those feelings deepen, things get even more complicated and neither is really sure what to do about it. Especially Lane who has spent so many years having to repress his feelings, and now no longer able to with Trevor in his home. In all his caring, sweet, earnestness while telling him that he may be into guys. Poor Lane didn’t have a chance.

Bolden’s characters are always so appealing and so delicious in their downfall that I don’t even need to read the blurb to know that it’s a must read. And once again she delivers a steamy slow burn, low angst, idiots-to-lovers romance but at least Lane & Trevor are fun in their idiocy.

*****

Author Info:

A lifelong Oregonian, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband and their sweet kitten, Earl Grey. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh.

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published fourteen novels and five short stories.

Review – Hell or High Water

26 Thursday Mar 2026

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Hell or High Water, Toronto Thunder series

Hell or High Water

Toronto Thunder #3

by Beth Bolden

Cover Designer: Ozark Witch Cover Design

Model: Joel Ros

Photographer: J. Ashley Converse Photography

Blurb:

Come hell or high water, Nate’s gonna be Ramsey’s perfect (fake) boyfriend . . .

The night Nate Bishop met Ramsey Andresen, he didn’t know who he was.

Didn’t know he was a hockey player. Didn’t know he’d be sticking around in Toronto. Most definitely didn’t know they’d hook up and Ramsey would walk right out of his life. Leaving him aching for more and hating that he can’t forget him.

They meet again at a Thunder team party and Nate’s not only shocked by Ramsey’s presence, but the way he acts like he belongs. He’s gorgeous and perfect and unobtainable, his existence rubbing Nate’s face into everything he can’t have.

He knows his teammates aren’t happy they don’t get along. But the last thing Nate expects is for Ramsey to suggest a plan to get them off their backs.

Not a fake friendship, but a fake situationship.

As they spend more time together—at first a necessity because of the charade, and then because they can’t stay away from each other—Nate starts to learn more about Ramsey’s secrets.

And each shadowy corner that Nate shines light into makes him like Ramsey even more. Until like slides easily into love, and fake becomes something real. Something precious. When they shatter the illusion, can they face the reality that they want each other, completely and forever, after playing pretend for so long?

Tropes: fake relationship, enemies to lovers, football player x hockey player, bad boy settles down

Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback (model & discreet), and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est May)

https://readerlinks.com/l/5210107

*****

Review:

Right away, we find out what happened before the season started and why there is so much tension between Nate & Ramsey. And I loved getting their POV, giving us glimpses into their own issues and the way they connect with each other & develop an understanding of what makes the other tick.

I love the two of them together. The way they truly get one another, supporting & appreciating each other. Being solidly there. With patience, they build trust & a safe place to be themselves. Especially Ramsey who has someone that sees him and appreciates his brilliance and his emotional intelligence, loving the complicated man he hides under his suave exterior.

I came into this one with all kinds of faith in Beth Bolden’s skills because enemies-to-lovers and MCs that are averse to emotional involvement usually aren’t my favs. Typically they have more than their fair share of angst but I’ve never been let down by Bolden so I gladly dove into this one. And OH MY GOSH, so good!

Review – Stealing His Thunder

14 Wednesday Jan 2026

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Stealing His Thunder, Toronto Thunder series

Stealing His Thunder

Toronto Thunder series

by Beth Bolden

Designer: Ozark Witch Cover Design

Blurb:

Can rookie Cam’s sunshine steal veteran Dawson’s thunder?

Kicker Dawson Hall is ready to leave his past in the dust. His last season was catastrophically bad, with the distraction of his divorce and discovering that his father-in-law wasn’t managing his money—he was stealing it, instead.

He signs with the Toronto Thunder, poised for his redemption arc, but he’s grumpy and frustrated he has to undertake one at all. He should be better than this. He is better than this.

The new rookie punter’s hero worship might be just another annoyance, but Cameron Green is sweet and kind and more than a little naïve. He’s a country boy suddenly dumped amongst all the skyscrapers, with no idea of how the real world can chew him up and spit him out. It’s practically Dawson’s duty to mentor him and if Dawson soaks up a little of his sunshine, too?

Well, nobody could blame him for that. Not after the year’s he’s just had.

But when Dawson starts craving more and more of Cam, his crush dangerously teetering into passion kind of territory, he’s forced to not just confront his own past, full of disappointment and distrust, but his future, too.

He wants his redemption, and that perfect vision of a season feels just within reach. But it turns out he doesn’t just want Cam for single season—even if it’s everything he believed he wanted—he wants Cam for every season.

Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est February)

On Amazon & Kindle Unlimited: https://readerlinks.com/l/5111928

*****

Review:

I think I’m going to wear out the word but once again this is such a sweet read. Cam is all sorts of golden retriever energy. Positive, happy, set on showing Dawson how awesome Daws is … and that Cam might just be the perfect man for him. Loved it from the first kiss to the HEA.

And Dawson really is awesome. He’s a little battered, a little doubtful, and way too hard on himself but he’s had a rough year. No one could blame him for being a little hesitant to trust, in himself and in others. But there’s no denying his attraction to Cam. And while he’s a little slow to recognize how deep he is in with Cam, the man does eventually figure it out 🙂

Bolden did it again. I love Cam & Dawson together – they are just so sweet as a couple. I love, love, love that she didn’t make it overly angsty. Instead we get Dawson working to get his feet back under him after his divorce and the fall out from his FIL’s deception. And when he starts to look up, there’s Cam right there in all his sunshiny, positive glory. Oh, my heart.

Review – Perfect Storm

20 Monday Oct 2025

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Perfect Storm, Toronto Thunder series

Perfect Storm

Book #1 in the Toronto Thunder series

by Beth Bolden

Designer: Ozark Witch Cover Design

Photographer: Cadwallader Photography, LLC

Model: Trevor Brachtenbach

Blurb:

When the sexy little brother of Aidan’s best friend suggests a hookup pact, it’s the perfect storm for a bi-awakening . . .

Toronto Thunder quarterback Aidan Flynn always believed he was straight, until his close friend and favorite wide receiver signs with a team across the country. Distance opens his eyes and unlocks a desire he can’t deny. Even if his feelings aren’t returned, Aidan still wants to learn more about this part of himself.

Frustrated and a little heartbroken, the last thing he expects is for his crappy mood to get called out by his best friend’s little brother. Or for Levi to offer, on one drunken night, a pact: if Aidan never gets together with his guy, Levi will show him everything he’s been missing—and wanting—in bed.

It’s a stupid promise, fueled by booze and heartbreak, and Aidan expects that Levi will never call him on it.

Except Levi does. He shows up at Aidan’s house in Toronto less than two months later, not only willing to fulfill his side of the pact, but now signed to the Thunder as Aidan’s new right tackle. Aidan assumes it’ll be easy to get rid of him, but Levi is charming and persistent, and he not only ends up living in Aidan’s house, but sleeping in Aidan’s bed.

It’s easy and fun and the best hookup Aidan’s ever had in his whole life. It’s so good, in fact, Aidan starts to experience feelings he believed were long gone, traded away with his friend. Maybe with Levi in his life, love isn’t such a lost cause, after all.

They’re great on the field and between the sheets. But when Aidan’s past returns, he must decide whether Levi also has a place in his heart.

Tropes: sexual discovery, best friend’s little brother, hookup pact, roommates to friends to lovers

On Amazon & Kindle Unlimited: https://readerlinks.com/l/5019187

Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est November)

*****

Review:

I adored Aidan and Levi together, as they explore their feelings and the connection that grows between them. This is definitely an opposites attract kind of thing because Levi is pretty free spirited, comfortable in his skin and his sexuality, whereas Aidan struggles a bit about how he’s viewed and letting himself relax. He’s stoic and controlled but his relationship with & feelings for Levi are … nothing like that 🙂

What starts out as something a little fun and flirtatious, turns into something different when Levi unexpectedly joins the Thunder. He lets Aidan set the pace, helping him to come to terms with the change in his sexuality and his new situation. He’s there as a friend, and possibly something more, pushing when it’s needed and stepping back when things get too much. But with patience, honesty, and some self reflection, they’ll figure things out.

I cannot say enough about how much I love Beth Bolden’s books. It makes me so very happy to know that there is a new series (pretty sure I saw that it will end up being 8 books!?!?!) set in the Condors, Piranhas, Riptide universe. This one isn’t as angsty as the last Bolden story I read – which was one of the hockey ones, Breakaway Goals – but it has a good dose of warmth, growth, and heat. And I am so, so ready for the next one!

Review – Breakaway Goals

19 Tuesday Aug 2025

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Beth Bolden, Book Review, Breakaway Goals

Breakaway Goals

Standalone in the Evergreens universe

by Beth Bolden

Release Date: August 20

Designer: Ozark Witch Cover Design
Photographer: Cadwallader Photography, LLC
Model: Aaron Wolber

Blurb:

Tampa Sentinels Captain Hayes Montgomery has hero-worshipped Morgan Reynolds his entire career, watching as the larger-than-life hockey star has racked up stats that always seemed unreal. Unattainable. Unreachable.

Until Hayes himself is labeled “the next one” and to his surprise, he and Morgan end up on the same team together, playing for Team USA in a nation versus nation tournament.

Now Hayes’ hero isn’t just his teammate, but his linemate. They’re hot on the ice, and despite Morgan’s straight reputation, off it too.

It’s only ten days, but it’s the best ten days of his life. That shouldn’t be long enough for a hockey crush to morph into a real crush, but Hayes falls head over heels, launch-himself-off-a-cliff, wildly in love with Morgan, anyway.

They don’t play on the same team or even on the same coast. Normally, they’re never in the same zip code, but that doesn’t change Hayes’ feelings—or his regret when the fling ends.

Fast forward six years. Morgan’s retired, Hayes is writing his own name in the record books, and he’s sure he’s over it. Over him.

But then Morgan arrives in Tampa to watch his rookie son play for the Sentinels.

He doesn’t want to be hung up on his teammate’s dad, but it doesn’t matter how long it’s been or what he’s tried. Morgan still makes Hayes’ knees weak.

And when it turns out Morgan has his own Hayes’ shaped regret?

Maybe they can finally find their way back to each other again.

Tropes: second chance, age gap, he fell first/he fell harder, son’s captain, player x ex-player, pining, groveling

Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback, and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est September)

Preorder: https://readerlinks.com/l/4898260

*****

Review:

I haven’t read the other stories in the Evergreens universe, and I get the idea that we were teased a bit about Hayes and Morgan, but oh goodness this one stood up well on its own. Maybe it would have given me even more of the feels, IDK, but it definitely was a heart-wrencher.

Pretty much the first half is Hayes and Morgan falling in love. I liked how Bolden handled Morgan’s bi-awakening – with his acceptance of his son’s sexuality, I felt like it was a little easier for him to accept his own. It’s hot and sweet and fabulously perfect … until it isn’t.

The next quarter or so was definitely all the angst, with neither of them handling things well but it’s not really surprising. I mean, they are both carrying so much and there are so many things standing in their way. Would a clearing the air conversation have helped? Sure, but I feel like this was much more realistic for the kind of people they are. And I feel like they definitely came back into each other’s lives at the right time to get the HEA they deserve.

Are you looking for a rollercoaster of a read? Hope so because Bolden brings it ALL, both good and bad, and doesn’t let up until the end.